It’s always been on my list of things I absolutely believe even though I could not prove. Playing music helps the different parts of the brain work together. Furthermore, there’s obviously something very powerful and complex about playing and singing music together with others in real time.

Since I listen all day to the anxieties of people, I’ve gotten an earful this week. And it’s only Tuesday. The mega-environment is becoming rough and uncertain. Money, especially money for new projects, is expected to be harder to come by, and a lot of things will become difficult.

Doing well in this climate will require psychologically resilient people and organizations — those with the capacity to resist despair, fear, and retreats into fantasy, to keep doing what needs to be done. Flexibility, an unfazed grasp of reality, persistence and patience will serve people well. (Sometimes it will require the flexibility to abandon projects that are checkmated and move on to something else with a minimum of handwringing). Groups that can manage discouragement and anxiety and support one another will do all right. Teams and groups who sink into finger-pointing when times are tough will not make it. Read more »

I hope this blogging project is of interest to anybody who is concerned, as I am, with processes of change: getting unstuck, finding a new direction, moving from dreaming-about to doing-something-about, overcoming unseen obstacles. So while it’s ostensibly just about my work with Mark Hollander’s 100-day plan, it touches on many universals. The really true things about human nature often have something paradoxical at their core. So here I find myself going quickly because the process required me to slow down at the beginning.

The project has gained a great sense of velocity, which is so interesting because where we started 49 days ago was by stopping a bunch of frantic activity that wasn’t getting me anywhere. For awhile the feeling was that I wasn’t doing enough. Now the experience is of a lot of pieces clicking into place. I wonder how this has come about. Read more »

I’ve noticed there are a lot of ways to destroy a band. I thought it would be helpful to compile a list of different ways to make a band fail, so people who are seeking failure can destroy their bands more efficiently. This is a first pass at an authoritative reference. Please add your own as a comment. Read more »